University of Southern California Top Questions

There are many different cultures and races represented at USC. By attending USC, I have met many people whose lives and upbringing are completely different from my own. I think all kinds of different students would feel comfortable at USC. Walking around campus one can easily see different groups interacting and enjoying each other's company. Most students at USC dress very casually, which is typical for the California style. I would say the most popular look would be jeans, a shirt and Rainbow sandals. There are those girls who get very dressed up but they are in the minority. Some kids come to school so casually that they do not even bother to change into clothes and come to class in their pajamas! Students from USC come from all over the country and many different countries all over the world. That was one thing that was suprising to me when I first came to USC, was the large number of international students and teaching assistants. There is also a large number of California natives who come from the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. There are many different financial backgrounds. Some students come from very wealthy families and then there are students who come to school with full financial aide. Students do not really discuss the money they will earn one day, they are just focused on getting that good starter job.

There is a lot of diversity in the USC student body; there is definitely a place for everyone.

The student population at USC is very diverse. During my time here, I have met people from London, Guatamala, Nigeria, Italy, France, and countless other countries as well as states accross the United States. This diversity aids the learning process in classes because of the many diverse perspectives provided in class discussions.

I have been told that we have the most LGBT friendly campus in the country. There are representatives from every state, race, religion etc. There is a large Asian population as well as a prominent Jewish community. The only group I have found underrepresented is the black community. Many students are politically aware; we have many political organizations and they are all big on registering people to vote. There are people as far left and right as they come, but I would say most people are predominantly in the center.

Stuff on campus: think its all pretty friendly, i havent heard of any major situations of prejudice occurring Student who would feel out of place would probably be someone totally disgusted with the entire Hollywood scene. But even they'd find a niche, hopefully Students wear anything they want to class. I wear a tshirt and jeans but it depends yes different types of students interact 4 tables - i dont know, this is kind of a weird question Most USC students from California Financial backgrounds - everyone seems more rich than me and my family is definitely not poor Very politically aware, varying on activeness predominantly left but lots of rights and centers Not in definite monetary terms, i am pretty sure everyone wants a lot of money though

I am an active participant in many racial organizations on campus, and I frequently attend the USC Catholic Center. I think that the type of person who would feel out of place at USC is someone who places his or herself away from USC. There is an organization, or major, or class for everyone if you're willing to look and apply the time!

My favorite part about USC is getting to know people from other countries. My first year here, there was a girl from Jordan and a guy who was from Hong Kong, who both lived on my floor. I have also gotten to know people from Kuwait, Columbia, Estonia, Malaysia and India. I love the diversity of the student body and I love all of the friends I have made, not only from other countries, but also from different states. Living in the dorms is the best way to meet people and I am still friends with about 90 percent of the people that lived on my floor the first two years I attended USC.

USC is definitely segregated. In general, races tend to hang out amongst themselves and rich kids hang out with themselves. The socio-economic gap is unfortunate. Poor kids get left out in that they can't experience LA/college like the rich ones. I feel like I've missed out in that I can't afford to go to the restaurants, clubs, bars, concerts, games, or vacations everyone else is going on. Fortunately, the school is big enough you can find people you associate with.

USC is known as a very diverse university, but I think this is a fairly deceptive tag used by the university as a marketing tool. Yes, in terms of raw numbers, USC is one of the most diverse schools in the country. There are large amounts of Latino, Asian, and Black students. There are plenty of International students. The problem, however, and why I think the diversity at USC is overrated, is that these groups are very socially segregated. Students tend to stick with their own racial or ethnic group. This is furthered by student organizations that tend to encourage this separation and labeling. There is some intermingling, yes, but the groups are more separate than people would like to admit. 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of USC students are Californians, statistically and from my experience. The other 50{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} are from a ridiculous amount of different places. Students tend to lean slightly left. There are very active groups on both the left wing and right wing side though.

I am a Black Southern student from the lower-middle class, so fitting into the USC model was intimidating. USC tries very hard to promote diversity within its student body, but as a university it can only do so much. I sometimes feel alienated by more "traditional students," and faculty members tend to notice you more in class, often scrutinizing your actions. However, the efforts of the University offsets individuals wishing not to promote diversity. Although interest is increasing, I find USC overall to be politically apathetic. There are strong students on both the left and the right, but too many students worry about their own lives than the political scheme. Most students I found to be middle class students on financial aid, which was expected. The working class students and the upper-class students tend to clash. Everyone tends to have the idea that going to USC will automatically make all your financial dreams come true. Many incoming freshmen dress to the 9s to go to class, but by midterm time, most of the student body wears sweats, jeans, and even pjs to class. In the warmer months, you will see tons of sunglasses and flip-flops. A large amount of students seem to wear USC colors daily. I know I wear school colors at least twice a week.